Spain is threatening to derail a Nato summit intended to appease Donald Trump by refusing to commit to the US president’s request for allies to increase their defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP.
In a forthright letter on Thursday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that the new goal was “unreasonable” and could have damaging consequences for the economy and social welfare by diverting public spending.
Leaders of the transatlantic military alliance will meet in The Hague next Wednesday amid uncertainty over Washington’s continued support for Europe’s defence, after Trump threatened to stop protecting allies that don’t commit to spend 5 per cent of their GDP on defence.